Casey Cagle Enters Governor’s Race

It looks like Brian Kemp has company. The AJC is reporting that Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle has filed papers to run for governor in 2018. Cagle and Kemp are the only Republicans who are running so far (more analysis on this matchup is coming soon). No Democrats have announced yet, but House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams seems certain to join. You can read Greg Bluestein’s post on Cagle’s gubernatorial bid below the fold:

Cagle is the presumptive Republican front-runner in what could be a crowded field to succeed a term-limited Nathan Deal. Secretary of State Brian Kemp is already in the race, and a cast of current and former lawmakers – along with an “outsider” or two – are considering entering the contest.

Democrats are gearing up for a chance to flip the seat for the first time since 2002. House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams is seen as a lock to join the race and others, including state Rep. Stacey Evans and former state Sen. Jason Carter, are exploring a run.

A Gainesville native, Cagle was elected to the Georgia Senate in 1994 at the age of 28 when he upset a Democratic incumbent. He launched what was considered a long-shot bid in 2006 for lieutenant governor against Ralph Reed, a former Christian Coalition leader with a national profile. His win sidelined Reed’s political career and was the first of Cagle’s three statewide victories.

This time around, he and his supporters have indicated there’s no turning back.

He’s traveled the state in the runup to this year’s legislative session, collecting IOUs, hiring staff and lining up commitments. He wrote a book about education policy that published last year, and he’s tried to smooth ties with powerful business groups about a “religious liberty” proposal that he initially supported. And he’s raised more than $500,000 in his lieutenant governor’s account since winning another term, even though most of the Capitol donors knew he planned a gubernatorial run.

His campaign is to be chaired by Charles Tarbutton, a Sandersville rail executive whose family has ties to Deal, Zell Miller and other successful gubernatorial candidates stretching back the last half-century. It’s a sign that Cagle’s bid has early support from one of the most well-connected political networks in the state.